The invention relates to an apparatus for bonding textile sheet-like structures, especially outer fabrics and preferably interlinings, comprising a heating station and at least one pressure device which follows the heating station and which has a pressure roller and a contact means, and comprising at least one transport conveyor for transporting the sheet-like structures through the heating station and the pressure device.
In the manufacture of ready-made clothing, textile sheet-like structures have to be bonded. In this process, outer fabrics are bonded to interlinings. For this purpose, particularly the interlinings are provided with a coating of a suitable adhesive. This adhesive is activated under heat and pressure, such that the plasticised adhesive partially penetrates the outer fabric in order to bond the fabric to the interlining.
An apparatus of this species is known from DE-PS 35 02 608 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,147). In this apparatus, the textile sheet-like structures are subjected to pressure in a pressure device. This pressure device comprises two pressure rollers which are assigned to opposite sides of a transport conveyor in order to exert linear pressure on the textile sheet-like structures. The pressure rollers have a solid steel sleeve. The steel sleeve of at least one pressure roller is provided with a coating of a rubber-like material. In spite of this coating, it can not be avoided that the pressure exerted in the roller gap between the pressure rollers varies, particularly if the textile sheet-like structures which are to be bonded are irregularly placed on the transport conveyor or have different thicknesses. Because of these changing pressures, the depth of penetration of the plasticised adhesive into the fabric of the outer material can not be accurately determined.
Especially in the case of (synthetic) micro-fibre fabrics, an accurate pressure which ensures a specific depth of penetration of the bonding agent into the outer fabric is immensely important. Particularly if the pressure is too high, either the contours of the interlinings show on the outer fabric or there is an undesired glossy effect or the bonding agent can be seen from the outside.